


these things we share

by Dreaming_of_Fairys



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Coming Out, Epic Friendship, Falling In Love, Feel-good, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, LGBTQ Themes, Light Angst, Nonbinary Character, Nonbinary Rogue Cheney, One Shot, Other, References to Depression, Self-Discovery, Trans Male Character, Trans Sting Eucliffe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:55:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26940985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dreaming_of_Fairys/pseuds/Dreaming_of_Fairys
Summary: When Sting comes out as trans out of the blue, Ryos does his best to support him while struggling with his own conflicting feelings. Despite everything, Ryos is determined not to let any harm come to his best friend, even if it means losing himself in the process.
Relationships: Rogue Cheney/Sting Eucliffe
Comments: 1
Kudos: 20





	these things we share

**Author's Note:**

> hi i know i haven't written for this fandom in a million years but inspiration struck today so i ran with it! plus we STAN positive trans/enby representation.
> 
> i hope you enjoy <3

“I’m trans.”

Sting said it so simply, so matter of fact, as if she—he?—didn’t casually drop a giant bombshell on their weekly picnic. Yukino stopped with her sandwich halfway to her mouth, turning to look at Sting with wide eyes and raised eyebrows. Ryos almost dropped his chopsticks.

“Okay.” Minerva seemed the most unaffected, shrugging her shoulders and pushing her salad around with her fork. She stabbed a crouton with a loud _crunch_ , and Ryos’ eyes followed her movements as if they were the most interesting thing he’d seen all week.

It wasn’t that he didn’t accept Sting. They’d been best friends since they were kids, going to the same school all the way up to Magnolia University, where they sat now. But there was something stirring in Ryos’ gut that made the news hard to stomach.

Sting was always so confident, so brave. He was unabashedly himself, no matter the consequences. He took the world by storm with a bright smile on his face, blue eyes twinkling, and gained the respect and admiration of everyone around him.

Even now, coming out to his closest friends on an ordinary Saturday afternoon, he seemed unaffected. His chest was puffed out, his shoulders squared, chin up. He was picture perfect, and all Ryos could do was sit in the shadow of his light.

Sting’s eyes trained onto Ryos’ face. Ryos was suddenly reminded that he knew Sting better than anyone, because he could see the cracks in his confidence, the anxiety in his eyes, the silent begging that his best friend would still care for him.

And of course Ryos would. They’d made a pact as children to never leave each other’s side, and Ryos was going to see that through to the end.

He reached a gentle hand out, setting it on Sting’s knee and giving a little squeeze. “I’m proud of you,” he said, genuine as always. “And not really surprised.”

Ryos had realized he wasn’t surprised once the initial shock wore off. Sting had always been a “tomboy”, cut his hair in high school, and used the name “Sting” ever since his soccer teammates dubbed him as such. No, Ryos’ surprise wasn’t about the announcement itself, rather in it’s execution.

Sting’s smile split across his face, bright and brilliant as the afternoon sun. “Thanks guys. I love you all so much, you have no idea how much it means to me!”

When Sting pulled them all into a group hug, Ryos hugged back, holding on tight like he was afraid to let go.

* * *

Their dorm room became a mess of paper, old clothes to sell, and empty orange bottles as Sting grew into himself. He paraded around their room in boxer briefs and his new binder, sporting bandaids in fun colors on his inner thigh. He stood in front of the mirror, frowning at his acne but grinning at the presence of little blond hairs on his upper lip, before swiping eyeliner around his eyes. Sting lived in a whirlwind of color and exuberance, excited to see what each day would bring. He took pictures in the full length mirror every week, after he came back from the gym, flexing his arms and laughing with joy at his progress.

There were bad days too, of course. Tears of frustration, fists against plaster walls, another box of pads angrily torn upon and chucked across the room with contempt. Sometimes, Sting locked himself away solely because he didn’t want to listen to the sound of his voice.

Maybe it was fucked up, but Ryos envied even the bad days. He lingered like a shadow on the wall, watching in silence as Sting grew into the man he’d always wanted to be. Pride couldn’t begin to explain how Ryos felt towards his best friend. He hated that it was undercut by bitterness, that he couldn’t bring himself to _just_ _be happy for him_.

Ryos agonized over it at night, staring up at the ceiling, listening to the sounds of Sting’s breathing across the room from him. _You’re a terrible best friend,_ his mind scolded him, _why can’t you support him unconditionally? Why do you care about this anyways?_

Ryos clawed at his face with jagged nails, hot tears spilling down his cheeks. He was awful. Horrible. But he couldn’t help how he felt. So he would keep smiling, keep telling Sting he looked handsome, keep taking him out to shop for men’s clothes- all the while, Ryos deteriorated from the inside out.

* * *

“Are you okay?”

They were lying on the floor of the dorm room, an empty box of pizza between them, crushed soda cans strewn about. Alcohol made the world fuzzy, music floating through the room from Sting’s phone speakers. It was a far cry from most college students’ Friday nights, but Ryos wouldn’t have it any other way.

He turned to look at Sting, brows knitting together. “Me?”

“Yeah, you.” Sting shook his head with a small smile on his face. “Who else would I be talking to, dummy?”

“Right.” Ryos brushed his long bangs from his eyes, then averted his gaze down to his fingernails. He’d painted them black a few days ago, but they were already chipping. It’d been a poorly done job anyways, considering it was the first time he’d done it.

Sting sighed, and Ryos felt him shift. “You’ve just seemed...off. For a long time now. You’d talk to me if there was something seriously bothering you, right?”

Ryos watched as a flake of black paint fell to the floor. “Of course.” He bit his lip, closing his eyes and letting the warm sensation of being lightly buzzed take him under.

“Ryos…” Sting sounded sad. It wasn’t an emotion Ryos liked to see in him. It wasn’t fitting for someone so bright. “I know something’s wrong.”

Ryos swallowed, feeling his eyes start to burn beneath his eyelids. “I know.” 

“Then why won’t you talk to me?” Sting’s voice cracked with desperation, and Ryos’ chest clenched, drowning in his own guilt.

“Because…” Ryos struggled to find the right words. He pulled himself up into a sitting position, his head pounding, and glanced out the window at the night sky. “Because I don’t even know what’s wrong myself.”

“Oh.” Sting moved to sit up next to him, resting his head on Ryos’ shoulder. He wrapped an arm around him, and Ryos melted into the touch. “Okay. Well, I’m here regardless.”

“I know,” Ryos repeated, barely a whisper. The tears on his cheeks sparkled in the moonlight with unparalleled beauty.

But Ryos was still staring at Sting.

* * *

Ryos sighed, slamming the car door shut. “Would you shut up about it already?” The second the words came out of his mouth he regretted them, bowing his head. “...Sorry.”

Minerva sighed, heeled sandals clicking on the pavement. Her keys jingled in her hand as she rounded the front of the car to stop in front of Ryos. “Maybe it seems like I’m being unfair. But you’ve got to stop agonizing over this.”

The summertime sun beat down overhead, and Ryos tugged at his black t-shirt. He felt uncomfortable in his own skin, wanting to drown in dark colors and loose clothes, but the heat felt suffocating. He longed to be back at home, sitting in his air conditioned room. But he should be happy that he even had a friend close enough to visit outside of the school year.

“I still don’t know what you’re talking about- ow!”

Minerva whacked Ryos in the side with her keys, eyes flaring. “You know _exactly_ what I’m talking about. You look at that boy like he’s the reincarnation of Adonis. I’m so tired of watching you mope around like a sad puppy on his heels. I can tell that he feels the same but doesn’t want to push you. So make the first move. The second that you get back home, tell him how you feel.”

“Tell him how I- _what_?” Ryos looked at her, incredulous, face turning red. “I really don’t know what you’re talking about, Mimi.”

“For _fuck’s_ sake, Ryos!” Minerva stormed off towards the restaurant, shoving her keys into the pocket of her jacket. 

Ryos scrambled to catch up to her, shoving his hands into his jeans. “Hey, hold on-!”

Minerva stopped at the curb, turning to look at Ryos. Her shoulders sagged, pursing her red lips as she looked Ryos up and down. “I know that confidence is hard for you. But if you love him, you should tell him. That _is_ what’s been bothering you, right?”

“I…” Ryos blinked. He stared at Minerva for a long time, as if trying to understand her. 

Minerva put a hand on his shoulder, looking at him with sympathy. “I know. It’s not easy. But you’ll be fine. And if you’re not, I’ll pay for your meals for the next month.”

Ryos opened his mouth to protest, but Minerva held up a single manicured finger in front of his face. “You’re not allowed to say no. I can afford it just fine.”

“Right,” Ryos mumbled, ducking his head, pink dusting his cheeks. “Can we go eat now?”

Minerva threw an arm around Ryos’ shoulders, guiding him into the restaurant with a small chuckle. “Fine, that’s enough grilling for one day. I’ll shut up.”

Ryos nodded. He knew she wasn’t wrong. Ryos had felt differently about Sting for a very long time, like he was more than a best friend. But for some reason, that didn’t feel like the answer he was looking for. There was still something else that he couldn’t put a finger on.

But what could it possibly be?

* * *

Ryos didn’t confess once he got home. He procrastinated it as long as possible, trying his best to keep his cool around Sting when they hung out, all the way up until they returned to school. They shared a dorm room again, but it felt different than last year. Gone was the transition-induced mess, and instead Sting hung up a trans flag in their window, and hung all his clothes up in the closet.

As the days went by, Ryos started seeing Sting less and less. He got a job on campus, and constantly talked about a coworker of his named Zancrow who he was convinced was a pyromaniac. He also befriended a guy named Natsu at the gym, and started to hang out with him almost daily.

Ryos knew he was being left behind. He sat back in the dorm room and studied, pouring over textbooks and solemnly looking out the window. It was far too quiet in here, missing all of Sting’s blaring pop music and jovial laughter.

He should’ve taken Minerva’s advice sooner. He saw the way Sting and Natsu walked together, bumping shoulders and grinning from ear to ear, like they were thick as thieves. And here Ryos was, sitting inside alone, as if waiting for the school year to come to an end so he could move on with his nondescript life.

He figured he might as well take advantage of the alone time he had. So Ryos started experimenting, digging into niche corners of the internet he hadn’t explored previously. Before he registered what he was doing, one day he was digging through Sting’s stage makeup, testing swatches on his hand. Reds, purples, dark blues… Ryos stared at them all with a racing heart and a little smile on his lips.

As the days went by, he got bolder. Ryos started testing out various little things, adding splashes of color to his eyelids, or smearing red over his lips. He liked the power it gave him. 

He stepped out of the dorm and walked to the dining hall to grab a snack with it on, ignoring the churning of anxiety in his stomach. It turned people’s heads in a way Ryos never had before, and it was both exhilarating and terrifying. Not used to the attention, Ryos shrunk underneath their stares, until someone bumped shoulders with him and gave him a kind smile.

“I love your makeup.”

“Thank you,” Ryos replied with grace that surprised even himself, and then he was smiling and standing tall, walking with a brand new energy in his step.

* * *

“Yo, Ryos!” Sting’s voice echoed through the dorm room, followed by the slamming of the door. “We should hang out tonight! It feels like it’s been forever since we’ve had a game night! I miss you!”

Ryos panicked. He wasn’t sure what to do first- try and wipe the color off his face, clean up the makeup products scattered across the counter, or run like hell. So instead he stood there frozen, hands gripping the counter so tight his knuckles turned white, and waited to be discovered.

“Ryos? You around?” Sting ducked around the corner, all smiles, then stopped in his tracks.

“I’m sorry,” Ryos blurted out without thinking, shame welling up in his body. “I’m- I’m so, so sorry.” He backed away, hands held out in front of him, knocking a tube of lipstick off the counter.

“Whoa, hey-” Sting stepped forward, trying to grab Ryos’ wrist, but Ryos flinched. He ducked under Sting’s arm and made a beeline for the door, struggling not to cry or throw up or both.

“RYOS!” Sting shouted after him, sounding terrified. “Hey! Come back! It’s okay, I’m not mad! I don’t use most of that stuff anymore! You can have it if you want! Please come back!”

Ryos ran down the hallway, searching for someplace to go, when he ran right into someone. A few textbooks fell to the floor, and Ryos reached out to grab one. Even in a moment of panic, he wasn’t the kind of person to walk away from a mess he caused.

“I’m so sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

“Ryos?”

Ryos nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of Yukino’s voice. She stared at him with wide eyes for a moment, taking in his appearance, then smiled.

“Who did your makeup? It looks amazing.”

Ryos glanced behind him, knowing that Sting would be hot on his trail any second, but couldn’t bring himself to run away from Yukino. “I did it- um, can you- not tell-”

“RYOS!” Sting careened around the corner, breathing heavily. Ryos shrunk into himself as Sting skidded to a halt next to them, panting. “There you are!”

“Hi Sting,” Yukino chirped, and Ryos realized that she had zero idea what was going on. “Ryos was just showing me his makeup!”

“Yeah, it looks great, doesn’t it?” Sting bent down to pick up the books, piling them back into Yukino’s arms. Ryos stood deadly still, a ringing in his ears, on the verge of dissociating. How could the two of them talk about this so casually? He’d never seen a man wear makeup out in public like this, but they weren’t even batting an eye.

“Why aren’t you mad?” Ryos asked in a small voice, staring at the ground.

Sting put a hand on his hip, turning to look at his friend. “Huh? Why would I be mad? We borrow each other’s stuff all the time.”

“Don’t you think it’s weird?” Ryos’ voice was edging on desperation now, hands starting to tremble. He certainly thought it was weird, not understanding why he enjoyed doing his face up so much.

“No? Why would it be weird?” Sting cocked his head, raising an eyebrow. “You look great.”

“Are you trying drag or something?” Yukino hummed, shifting the weight of her books in her arms. “You’d make a really gorgeous girl, honestly.”

Warmth flooded through Ryos’ body. He stared at them in shock, trying to register what was happening and failing. “It isn’t...drag, per say.” He rubbed the back of his neck, cheeks turning back. “I don’t know why I’m doing it. It just makes me feel good.”

“Then that’s all that matters, yeah?” Sting grinned and squeezed Ryos’ shoulder. “You know I love you to death. And so do Yuki and Mimi. We’ll support you no matter what you wanna do, okay?’

“As long as it isn’t hiding a dead body,” Yukino joked with a nervous laugh, trying to lighten the mood.

“I’d help you hide a body,” Sting whispered out of the corner of his mouth, and Ryos snorted.

“Thank you, guys…” Ryos couldn’t help but to smile, tears shining in his eyes. He reached out and took both of their hands, squeezing them to show his appreciation. His mind flashed back to that day when Sting came out to them, how happy he was to be appreciated and accepted. It wasn’t nearly the same thing, but...it made Ryos feel happy like he hadn’t in a very long time.

“Yuki, join us for game night! I was thinking Mariokart.” Sting strode off towards their room again as if nothing happened, and Ryos felt a surge of gratitude towards him. He loved him. He loved him so much.

He really needed to tell him.

* * *

“Are you in love with Natsu?”

Sting’s head whipped around so fast Ryos was surprised it didn’t snap right off. “What?” he looked at Ryos like he was crazy, eyes going wide. “No? What made you think that?”

“You talk about him a lot.” Ryos picked at a fraying string at the edge of his sweater. His nails looked a lot better today than usual, which was nice. “Seems like every third word out of your mouth is about how cool Natsu is.”

Sting laughed, blushing a little. “Sorry- he’s just really awesome! And it’s kind of cool having someone who didn’t know me pre-transition, you know? He sees me as just another guy, and it’s really nice. I like feeling normal. I’ve always felt like I stood out too much?”

“You do,” Ryos said without thinking. When Sting grimaced, Ryos quickly amended his statement. “Not in a bad way. You’re confident and attractive, of course people are going to look at you.” He tried his best not to let jealousy creep into his voice, but it was a challenge.

“Really?” Sting dropped his phone into his lap, meeting Ryos’ eyes. “I’ve always felt like I’ve stood out for all the wrong reasons. That people were making fun of me or some shit, instead of seeing the good things about me.”

“I don’t think that’s the case,” Ryos disagreed as gently as he could. “And maybe it’s just me, but I’ve always felt like standing out for the wrong reasons is better than not standing out at all. At least people know you exist then.”

Sting’s face fell with sympathy. “Ryos...is this what’s been bothering you this whole time?” He leaned in close, and Ryos’ heart jumped in his chest. “You feel bad that you’re more introverted than me? Fuck, I didn’t even think about how you must feel seeing me find a friend who’s more extroverted…”

Ryos bit his lip, averting his eyes. “It’s alright. You’re allowed to have other friends. I want you to be happy.”

“You know that you’re irreplaceable, right?” Sting reached forward and gripped Ryos’ hand, forcing him to look him in the eyes again. “You’re so special to me. I don’t care if you’d rather hang out inside and watch tv instead of go out and party. I love spending time with you and I wouldn’t trade our friendship for the world. You’ve been my biggest supporter since day one, especially once I came out, and I wouldn’t be here without you. A lot of my confidence has _come_ from you, Ryos. Because you believed in me when no one else did.”

Ryos smiled so wide it almost hurt. He reached forward, cupping Sting’s cheek with one hand, and pressed their foreheads together. “Hearing that from you...means so much more than you’ll ever know,” he whispered. Sting’s face was bright red now, and he’d tensed up from head to toe. “You’re irreplaceable to me too. And I’m so glad to hear that you thought I was supportive even when I was having a really hard time with myself during your transition…”

“Hey, hey…” Sting leaned into Ryos’ touch, eyes sad. “Ryos. You were feeling depressed, that’s not your fault. It’s okay. I understand. It’s hard when so many things change so fast and you don’t have the energy to keep up with them.”

“I don’t know what I did to deserve you,” Ryos admitted, teary-eyed. He hadn’t thought about his mood slump as depression, but now that he heard it directly from Sting’s mouth, it made a scary amount of sense.

“You didn’t need to do anything,” Sting promised gently. “You’re an incredible person.”

Ryos wasn’t sure what made him say it. Maybe it was the relief at hearing he wasn’t a horrible friend, maybe it was how close they were, maybe it was exhaustion over holding it in for so long. But before he could think it through, those three words tumbled from his lips.

“I love you.”

Laughter bubbled in Sting’s chest. “I love you too, you’re one of my best friends,” he said, but the words sounded a little stilted and awkward.

Ryos shook his head. “You know that’s not what I mean.”

Sting started to cry. It was almost immediate, how fast the tears fell, little trails of glittery eyeliner staining his cheeks. “Ryos-” he choked out, closing his eyes and pressing impossibly closer. “I didn’t wanna scare you away- I should’ve said something sooner. But I love you too. So, so much. You’re my world.”

“And you’re mine,” Ryos replied, then took that final leap.

When their lips met in the middle for a watery kiss, smearing red lipstick all over Sting’s mouth, Ryos couldn’t help but to laugh. Sting started laughing too, their lips awkwardly mashing together, and Ryos couldn’t stop smiling.

“We’re _really_ bad at that,” Sting said, brushing a piece of Ryos’ dark bangs from his eyes.

“Guess we’ll just have to practice,” Ryos smirked with confidence that surprised even himself, and Sting grinned and pulled him in closer by his sweater.

“I like the sound of that.”

* * *

Ryos stood in front of the full-length mirror after a morning walk. Wearing a plain black skirt, red t-shirt, and heeled boots that were once Minerva’s, he felt more like himself than he ever had. Sting stood behind him, all smiles, giving Ryos his space but keeping up the support.

“So? How do you feel?”

Ryos smoothed the skirt down, staring at himself in awe. “Incredible,” he breathed, tucking a piece of hair behind his ear. The ponytail framed his face nicely, and it really tied the look together. “I feel...powerful.”

“You _are_ powerful,” Sting agreed, coming up behind him and planting a kiss to his cheek. “And beautiful. So fucking beautiful. If I didn’t wanna ruin that outfit of yours, I’d tackle you to the ground right now.”

Ryos laughed, pulling Sting in for a tight hug. “I don’t quite know what this all means,” he said, “but I’m happy that you’re here to support me.”

“Always and forever,” Sting promised, squeezing Ryos back. “Did you think any more about using different pronouns like I suggested?”

Ryos looked back in the mirror at himself. He pictured himself as a woman, with curves and a petite body, and shivered with dislike. But being a man wasn’t right either. Instead, somehow Ryos straddled the line between the two, wanting to have muscle and sharp angles, but be lithe and graceful at the same time.

“I’m not a guy,” Ryos said aloud, and Sting’s reflection smiled. “But I’m not a girl either. I’m just...me.”

“And what a beautiful you that is,” Sting said.

Ryos turned to Sting, looking him right in the eyes. “I want to stop hiding who I am,” they said with determination. “I want to be your partner.”

“They them it is, then,” Sting replied, then leaned in and kissed Ryos’ lipstick covered smile. “I have the best partner ever. They’re so brave.”

Ryos laughed against Sting’s lips, heart blossoming in their chest. “And I have the best boyfriend ever. He’s a giant fucking sap.”

Sting kissed them again with all of the love one man could possess. “Only for you, gorgeous.”

* * *

“This is going to the gayest wedding in the history of the world,” Minerva snorted, picking up a silk bow tie and turning it over in her hands. “I dare you to change the Best Man title to Best Lesbian for me instead.”

“Done,” Sting said without an ounce of hesitation, reaching for a bright pink suit jacket. His fiancé slapped his hand away with a shake of their head, and Sting shot them an insulted look.

“Did you decide what to do about the name thing?” Yukino piped up from the corner, scrolling through flower arrangements on her phone. “Or is it going to end up being a ‘we’ll decide when we get to the courthouse’ type thing?”

Sting laughed. “Nah, nah. We figured it out. They’re going to take my last name.”

Minerva chuckled knowingly, putting a hand on her hip. “We’re not even going to know you anymore, are we Rogue? Changing both of your legal names in one blow?”

Rogue smiled bright, unburdened and brimming with confidence. “You act like I didn’t ditch my deadname awhile ago,” they said. The others started bickering playfully among themselves, but Rogue didn’t tune in. Instead they glanced across the store, out one of the giant windows. They understood what Minerva meant. It seemed like they were an entirely different person than they were years ago, back when they’d first met Sting, or even ages ago since their first year of college together.

But despite everything that changed, Rogue knew deep down that everything important was still with them. And regardless of what new obstacles came the Eucliffes’ way, they would be ready for them.

All it took was a little confidence.


End file.
